Gundam SEED Ark's Flight REMASTERED
by Hellshadow
Summary: Alexander Kolodziej must fight ZAFT and a former friend of his and Kira Yamato's with the crew of the Ark. The official rewrite of Ark's Flight.
1. Chapter 1

The official rewrite of Ark's Flight. I do not own gundam.

* * *

Heliopolis, January 25, CE 71

"I'm within two kilometers of Kaohsiung, where the fighting has continued on for several days now," the reporter said into the camera, wearing a flak jacket. Behind him, a ZAFT ZGMF-1017 GINN walked through the city, firing at the ground. "ZAFT forces began their attack five days ago, and by now, have taken the spaceport."

The teenage boy watching the screen turned the speakers up as a small mechanical bird chirped into his ear. He brushed the machine away, the bird now hovering.

"Torii!" It cried.

"Another example of mechanical abuse," an amused voice said from behind him.

Kira turned his head and smiled. "Guess I should consider myself lucky that it's not a crime I can go to jail for, Alex."

The slightly older teen grinned and nodded. "Touché, bracie," he said, sitting down. He wore beige jeans and a deep blue shirt, as always. Aleksander Kolodziej was on of Kira's closest friends. Although his emerald eyes and blue hair brought back memories of Kira's youth, reminding him of the other friend who was no longer around.

"Hey, guys!"

The two looked up, noticing their friends. Tolle Koenig smirked, and Alex squinted at him, trying to figure out what he was planning. Miriallia Haww, standing next to him, leaned forward, her light aqua blue eyes shining.

"Professor Kato needs to see you guys again," Tolle said.

Alex groaned and slumped into his seat, his hands covering his face. Kira looked dismayed. "Again?"

"Yeesh, the prof is really horrible at his job if he needs us every single day," Alex said, rubbing his eyes.

"Alex is right, we haven't even finished the last batch of work he handed down to us," Kira explained, shaking his head.

"Well, anyway, he still needs to see you," Miriallia said, offering a sympathetic shrug.

"Guess we'll have to suffer this injustice," Alex said, closing up the laptop. "Again."

Kira stood up and joined Tolle and Miriallia as they started walking. He looked back at Alex. "You coming?"

Alex waved him on. "You get going. I'll take my time. Might as well make the professor wait a bit, you know? Teach him some patience."

Kira laughed at that. "Whatever, Alex. It's you head." He walked off with the others.

Alex grabbed his sports bag and opened the side pocket. He sighed as he saw the familiar ZAFT issue knife, along with a Colt .45 ACP, and a neatly folded ZAFT elite red uniform. Right on the uniform, a small picture was gently planted. A picture of himself, his arm slung around the shoulder of another young man, with similar blue hair and green eyes.

_Athrun, what are you doing right now? _Alex thought, closing the pocket. Then he opened the bag entirely, opening the laptop inside and powering it up. After a few moments, it was booted up.

"You up and running?" He asked.

"Yes," the deep voice replied.

"Okay, C. I need you to double check everything. We're almost ready, and I don't want any problems," Alex said.

"Understood."

Alex closed the bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He ran after his friends quickly, weaving through the crowds with relative ease, even with the backpack. He finally reached them, gently bumping into Miriallia.

"Hey, get your own girl," Tolle complained, pulling her away. Miriallia was already red in the face. Alex smirked.

"Hey, she's your girl, Tolle, no denying that," Alex said, hands raised in defeat. "Then again, she'd have to be, right?" He asked, shrugging.

"What's that mean?" Tolle asked.

Alex looked at him, and Kira slowed down so he could watch. "It means that the only reason you aren't falling asleep in class is because she smacks you on the head," Alex rebutted, grinning again.

"Why, you-"

Alex dodged to the side as Tolle tried to hit him.

Miriallia finally broke her silence. "Kaohsiung got hit," she said, stopping Tolle and Alex's bantering. "Will we be alright?"

Alex nudged her gently. "Don't worry about it, Mir," he said. "Orb's neutral. And they're stubborn about it, what's more. ZAFT won't attack it. They're not that stupid."

As they reached the main street, Alex turned the corner. Kira grabbed him by the shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

Alex thought about it, then smirked. "Nowhere."

Kira chuckled and Alex looked up ahead, noticing a red haired girl talking with her friends. _Flay Allster. So that's who you're interested in, huh? Too bad she doesn't notice you._

He and Kira made way as a dark haired woman with shades walked past, followed by two men. Something clicked in Alex's mind, but he let it go. Soon, he found himself in the university, shaking his head as Tolle pestered Kira about something.

"C'mon, Kira, just ask!" Tolle said to him.

"Stop, Tolle. I'm not asking," Kira replied, an annoyed expression on his face as a door slid open, revealing another classmate, Sai Argyle.

Sai smiled, his unruly light brown hair thrown to the side, earning a grimace from Alex. "Heard of a comb, Sai? Wonderful gadgets," he told him.

"Nice to see you, too, Alex," Sai replied, shaking his head as he pushed his glasses up. "I'm glad you finally made it, Kira."

Alex tuned Sai out, looking intently at the figure propped up against the wall. The brown coat and hat hid the features quite well. Alex could only make out a patch of blonde hair and a set of amber eyes.

"Who's that?" Tolle whispered to Kuzzey Buskirk, another friend of Kira's.

Kuzzey scratched his head, his black hair swaying. "All I know is she's a guest of the professor's."

Tolle looked at the visitor, trying to come up with something.

Alex cautiously booted up the laptop, glancing at the visitor every once in a while. _Why are you here? _He wondered. The screen came up, and Alex focused on the task at hand. When he finished, he sent a quick message to his friends.

Then the ground shook, and alarms went off.

Alex quickly booted up the laptop again, earning a glance from Kira. He followed Alex as the young man tried to quietly leave. "Where are you going?"

Alex stopped and sighed. "Kira…you sure know when to show up."

Kira gasped as Alex's Colt suddenly flew into his face, the barrel pointed right at his left eye. "Wh-what are you doing, Alex?"

"What I have to," he said, dropping the bag onto the ground and opening it, the gun still pointed at Kira. Kira's eyes widened as he saw the ZAFT uniform.

"You're-"

"No," Alex said quickly. "Former. I was trying to help some friends with something, and now it looks like ZAFT is here."

"What friends?" Kira asked.

As people began hurrying out, Alex quickly holstered the pistol and grabbed Kira. He groaned as Alex tightened his grip on Kira's shoulder before pushing him into the wall. "I know what ZAFT's after. But it's not just that I'm worried about."

Kira's eyes shot to the side as the person waiting for Professor Kato rushed past them.

"Alex, who is she?" He asked suddenly.

Alex gazed at her quickly. "Dunno. I'm going to let go now. Please don't try anything."

Kira took a step back as Tolle and Miriallia bumped into them. "What are you guys doing here?" Miriallia asked. "Hurry up!"

"Wanna find out?" Alex asked him.

Kira eyed him warily. One of his closest friends, a member of ZAFT. "Are you going to kill me?"

Alex laughed. "Kira, I could have killed you back in the tech room. No, I just wanted to clarify. Now come on, and I'll explain as we go along."

Kira, against every instinct he had, followed as Alex ran down the corridors. Kira ran ahead, noticing the stranger from earlier.

"Kira, grab him!" Alex yelled.

Kira did as he was told without thinking, and reached out. The person struggled, and Alex was already itching to use his gun.

"What are you doing?" Kira asked. "There's no point heading that way."

Just as he said that, an explosion caused the corridor ahead to collapse. Kira and Alex ducked and covered their faces as the dust hit. Kira shook his head and looked up. His eyes widened as he realized something.

"You're-a girl," he said softly.

"Yes, Kira, she's a girl, and I'm the Blue Blaze," Alex said dryly.

The young woman suddenly glared at him, her eyes burning with hate. "You're the Blue Blaze?"

Alex took a step back, his gun ready again. "Yes," he said slowly. Kira grabbed the girl as she lunged forward.

Alex jumped to the side. "Why does everyone react to me that way?" he asked. "I never asked for the name!"

"So you two are with ZAFT, then!" The girl yelled.

Alex eyes narrowed and he shook his head side to side slowly. "Not really. Well, I was. Him, not at all," he said, motioning to Kira. "Now, let's get outside. And don't even thing about attacking me," he warned the both of them. He rushed ahead, checking both sides before leaving the corridor.

As Kira and the girl rushed outside, Alex cursed. Kira stared below, stunned by the three dull gray machines lying side by side. The girl suddenly dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes. "I knew it," she said. "The Earth Forces new machines. Father, I knew you betrayed us all!" She yelled, drawing the attention of an Earth Forces officer from below.

"Down!" Alex yelled, pulling both teens back just as bullets struck the railing. Brilliant. Wanna alert anyone else of our location?" He groaned, the three getting up and running to the end of the walkway. "Kira, get her into the shelter. I have something I have to finish."

"What are you gonna do?" Kira asked, worried for his friend.

"Relax. I'll catch up. I just have to do one more thing," Alex answered, jumping onto the edge of the walkway, then dropping straight towards the ground. Kira pulled himself up off the ground, determined to do what his friend said.

"Get up," he told the girl.

"But…he's ZAFT's Blue Blaze!" She replied. "He probably set the whole thing up!"

"Not him," Kira replied. "He didn't have time."

"And why should I believe you?" The girl demanded.

Kira sighed in frustration. "Because if you don't, you'll die here."

Cagalli seethed, but stood up.

* * *

Alex was already on the ground, running amidst the chaos. A transport truck exploded, nearly knocking him off his feet. As he veered to the side, he caught sight of several ZAFT soldiers. He unzipped the bag and dropped it after pulling out the knife within.

"Hey!" He yelled, firing his gun at them. As the troops fired back, Alex dove to the ground and rolled, exchanging shots. They rushed at him, reloading. Alex ran forward, the blade twirling between his fingers. The knife flashed as it tore through vest and skin. Without even a second glance, he rushed up to a set of crates and began climbing them.

* * *

Kira had finally gotten the girl to the shelter. "Could you let us in!" He yelled into the comm.

"_We're already full! You'll have to go somewhere else! Try the left block. There are 37 shelters there!"  
_

Kira looked out past the wreckage. The way there was long and open, and any stragglers would be picked off too easily. "Could you at least take one of us? A girl?"

"_All right, but hurry!"_

Before she could say anything, he grabbed her and pushed her in. The girl punched the glass door, shaking her head as she tried to get out. The elevator went down, and Kira rushed off quickly. As he ran, he saw a ZAFT soldier up above aiming at one of the engineers near the mobile suits. "Above you!"

The woman quickly ducked and turned around, emptying the clip into the enemy troop. "Hey!"

"I'm going to the shelters, so don't worry about me!" Kira yelled.

"There's nothing but a door there!" The woman informed him just as the entryway to the next block exploded. Kira groaned and then jumped over the railing, landing on one of the machines' shoulders.

The woman cried out as one of her comrades was gunned down. She turned the gun on the ZAFT soldier in the red uniform, only to get shot in the shoulder. The recruit threw the gun away and pulled out a knife, rushing forward as Kira helped the woman up. He looked at the soldier, and his eyes widened.

"Athrun?" He asked.

The helmeted recruit stopped, surprised. "Kira?"

Alex landed behind the ZAFT redcoat, a gun in his hands, the knife pressed against the handle, blade pointed down. "Drop it, soldier!"

The enemy turned around, surprised. "Alex?"

Alex's hold faltered. "Athrun?" He whispered.

The wounded mechanic raised her gun, and Alex jumped to the side as Athrun leapt away from them. The woman pushed Kira into the unit, then jumped in after him.

"Oh, that's not good," Alex muttered, jumping off, just as the massive leg moved. He ran towards the third unit, noticing Athrun as he got into the second. An unfortunate ZAFT soldier happened to wander in Alex's way. Alex simply jumped up, his foot smashing into his face, using the footing to leap onto the frame of the remaining Suit. He ran up, opening the hatch and jumping in just as an explosion sent smoke and rubble flying into the air.

Alex strapped himself in while watching the OS boot up.

_General_

_Unilateral_

_Neurolink_

_Dispersive_

_Autonomic_

_Maneuver_

_Synthesis System_

_Huh. Leave it to the Naturals to give a machine its own scientific name, instead of just slapping on a code nu-oh, there it is._

The second part of the program booted, displaying diagnostics and weapons readouts.

"GAT X-106 Blade, eh?" He muttered to himself. "Wonderful, it's designed for the kind of fighting I love. Personal."

He then noticed something else.

"Phase shift armor? Oh, this'll be fun."

He reached into the backpack again, pulling out the laptop. He ripped open a side panel within the mobile suit and hooked it up, putting the small computer between the front view screen and the left one.

"Okay, CABAL, work your magic," Alex said. "What's that name mean again?"

"I am the Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform," the AI said. The system had a deep, ominous voice. "Systems online. Ready for startup."

He activated the unit and the dull gray Suit's optical sensors were filled with blood red light, the armor itself shifting into almost a silver color.

He hoped the others had gotten their assignments finished, because they were out of time. Next to him, another Suit stood up, blue and white in color, its body and head similar to his, but sharper and more angular.

"X-105 Strike," he muttered again. "Hope you're ready, because what happened here was child's play compared to what'll happen now. Lock and load, CABAL."

The two Suits stood side by side, and Alex knew his life was no longer the same.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I know it's been a while. I realized that Ark's Flight had a lot of problems, but I'm going to change that. Due to this fact, Legacy of the Blaze will be on hold, pending a rewrite as well. I will be rewriting this story, using the old chapters and reviews as guidelines and hints. So hopefully, all the little errors I made, like confusing characters and spelling errors will be fixed. Also, I hope to make Alex a bit cooler. Until the next chapter, Hellshadow, signing off.


	2. It's Name, Gundam

Heliopolis

Kira Yamato's day had started like any other. But now, thanks to ZAFT, it had been turned on its head. He looked at the woman beside him. She cursed as a GINN fired, the rounds hitting the ground, causing the Mobile Suit to waver. Kira cried out and fell forward, blocking the main monitor.

"Get back! Do you want to get killed?" She yelled at him.

Kira groaned, and pulled himself up. Then he looked at the screen. The GINN rushed at them, sword ready.

"AAHH!"

The young Earth Forces lieutenant hit a button beneath the controls, the Mobile Suit shifting color, now blue and white. It braced itself as the sword came down…

And never connected.

Another Mobile Suit got between them, this one silver in color.

"The X-106!" The woman cried out. "How-"

Alex's face appeared on the side of the screen.

"Damn it! You all right in there-huh? So I _wasn't _hallucinating. Kira, I suggest you take over. The OS on these things is atrocious," he said, trying to wrestle the ZAFT unit away. "I have to fix mine up, as well."

The current pilot was about to object, but Kira beat her to it.

"He's right. Please, move over!" He said, already climbing into the seat.

She moved, surprised-and intrigued-by these two young men. Kira's hands flew over the keyboard, typing in commands faster than she would have thought possible. He muttered to himself as he upgraded the OS, hoping that Alex would hold on.

In front of him, Alex had finally been pushed away, and now the GINN was free to attack.

"CABAL, reboot the damn AI now!" Alex yelled as the GINN raised its sword.

"Kira, look out!"

The Strike raised its arms, the sword hitting the arms. Inside the ZAFT unit, Miguel Aiman cursed.

"What?"

It was then that Alex noticed the third unit.

"The Aegis…not good," he muttered. _Is it you, Athrun? I hope not, przyjacielu._

Luckily, it didn't look like the now-red unit was going to interfere. It focused on several munitions trucks that were trying to attack it. A few seconds later it just took to the sky, forgetting-or ignoring-the other two G-units.

"CABAL, how's it look?" Alex asked, taking a deep breath.

"Phase shift reconfigured. Systems online. Reboot complete."

The Blade shut down for several seconds before coming back online. Alex hit the phase shift again, and this time, a deep blue color covered the unit, while the fists and bottom of the legs turned black.

"Much better!" Alex grinned.

The GINN turned around, Miguel feeling a sense of relief for a moment. "Is that you, Blaze? You had me going there. Being listed as MIA all this time."

There was no answer as the second mobile suit turned to face his GINN.

"_Miguel Aiman."_

Miguel's eyes widened, and his hands started shaking.

"_You and the ZAFT patrol engaged in unwarranted combat against a neutral colony. That is a war crime. How do you plead?"_

Miguel didn't understand. He frowned as he opened the channel again. "This colony was building mobile suits. What'd you think was gonna-"

"_GUILTY!"_

The Strike responded with a simple punch to the Suit's head, but Miguel, startled by the way his former comrade spoke to him, had already pulled back.

Inside the Blade, Alex was viewing his weapons as his machine rushed forward.

CIWS, armor schneiders, anti-ship swords…

The Blade reached behind its head, grabbing a massive hilt. It pulled it out, revealing a large sword. Miguel had righted his Mobile Suit, grabbing its rifle instead. It took aim, and-

The Blade swung, neatly slicing the arm off at the elbow joint. The Strike responded as well, pulling out its armor schneiders and moving forward. Alex shook his head.

"Stay back, you two! This is my fight," he said coldly. Without another glance, Alex pushed Blade forward, the Earth Forces unit leaping forward.

Inside the Strike, Murrue Ramius, the young Earth Forces lieutenant, watched as the GINN tried to fight back.

"The Blade…it's moving differently," Murrue murmured. Kira looked at her, surprised. "And that color…it can't be!" She said, eyes wide.

Alex squinted, seeing an opportunity. When the GINN swung the sword again, The Blade pulled back slightly, then, just as the weapon passed in front of it, it shot its arm out, stabbing the unit in the shoulder, jamming its rotors.

"_Damn you, you traitor!" _

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Traitor, huh?" He whispered. "How many people died here because of your actions, Magic Bullet of Dusk?" He screamed, wrenching the controls. The Blade angled its weapon and pulled, its sword running through the arm, the tip grazing the chest. Miguel yelled as his left monitor blew up. He reached down and pulled the self destruct.

The GINN suddenly died, its head lowering.

"Move away from the GINN!" She cried, alerting both Kira and Alex. Unfortunately, the warning came too late. The GINN exploded, engulfing the Blade and causing the Strike to fall backwards.

"Enemy unit, destroyed," CABAL informed Alex.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, moron," Alex groaned.

* * *

Inside the harbor, Natarle Badgiruel regained consciousness. She gasped as the lifeless body of a fellow officer floated in front of her. She closed her eyes in sorrow.

"Is anyone else alive?" She cried into darkness, and was answered by a surprised yelp somewhere up ahead. A few seconds later, a young man with blonde hair floated towards her.

"I thought I was the only survivor," he said, a relieved smile on his face.

"What are you doing here? Civilians should be in the shelter, not-" Badgiruel was cut off as he began speaking.

"Nice to meet you, too. Anesti Dhima. And for your information, all the shelters are closed off. Plus, I have to be somewhere right now. So I suggest you drop the military act right now, since it doesn't help us any."

The youth just floated past her, oblivious. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

"Where are you going?" Badgiruel demanded, eyes wide with disbelief.

"I told you, I have somewhere I need to be. Don't worry, I know my way around," he replied with a smile. "Take care, miss. And be careful."

Before she could think of a reply, he was gone.

"The _Archangel_!"

She suddenly remembered the ship that was under construction, and immediately headed for the hangar.

* * *

Both Mobile Suits were on the ground now. Miriallia and her friends were keeping watch over the young woman, while Kira and Alex tinkered away in their respective Suits.

"Minor scratches. Some scoring, and heat buildup. That armor's something else, all right," Alex said, lowering himself by cable. He pullt out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. Sai, Kuzzey, and Tolle now moved to the giant machines, interested. Kira came down, as well.

"Kira, Alex! She's waking up," Milly informed them. The two came over, helping her sit up.

Murrue groaned and looked around.

"First time taking a bullet, huh? Don't worry, the disorientation should pass soon," Alex said, smirking.

She stared at him for a moment, then grabbed him and threw him to the ground. She immediately rushed to her feet, and pulled her gun, firing into the air once before pressing the gun under Alex's chin.. Everyone jumped back, and the two students atop the machine stood still.

"Get down here! All of you, line up!"

Kira glared.

"In case you didn't notice, we just saved your life!" He yelled. "And Alex helped you, too!"

"Just go with it, Kira. It's not like she can shoot us," he said, smiling. The students stood in a single file line, some angry, some frightened-and the one on the ground had an amused expression on his face.

"Your names, all of you," Murrue demanded.

"Sai Argyle."

"Tolle Koenig."

"Kuzzey Buskirk."

"Miriallia Haww."

Murrue aimed the gun at Kira.

"Kira Yamato."

"And you're Aleksander Kolodziej?" She asked, shifting the weapon.

He smirked, not saying a word. She tightened her grip on the gun, and he suddenly batted the gun away. She backed up, surprised, and before she knew what happened, he was up on his feet, twirling a small dagger. The teenager circled her slowly, his eyes meeting hers.

"Yes, I am. And, like Kira said, we saved your life," he replied. "As you saw, I killed Miguel Aiman."

"The Blue Blaze," Murrue said quietly. "Were you part of this?" She asked, anger in her voice.

"No," he answered, his expression unreadable. He looked at the gun he took off her. "I've been here for three months, living quietly. I'm not part of this raid of ZAFT's." He stopped, his foot pressing down on the tossed weapon. "I'm gonna kick this to you. But if you try anything, I won't be nice anymore," he said. Then, just like he said, his foot shot out, knocking the weapon back to her. She stared at him, surprised.

Murrue sighed, then looked at the students as she picked up her weapon. "I'm surprised you haven't killed me," she said.

"Like I said earlier, I've been trying to live peacefully," he replied, putting the knife away. "So how about you get out of here?"

"You, get the number five trailer," she told Sai, ignoring Alex.

"Are you deaf?" Alex asked. "We're stuck in this, now. Just suck it up for now, alright?"

Murrue glared at him. Alex didn't blink once. "Sai," he said.

Sai looked at him, a little worried.

"Do as she says for now," Alex told him, humor in his voice. Sai just nodded and moved away.

Murrue looked at him again. "So, Mr…Kolodziej, was it? I assume that wasn't the first time someone's pointed a gun at you? Or do you just hate Earth Forces personnel, Blue Blaze?" She asked.

"A little bit of both, actually," he replied, face blank. "But I don't hate _all_ Earth Forces. Just those who hate Coordinators for the mere fact that they exist."

"I see. Are many of your friends coordinators?" She asked.

He grinned then, and took the glasses off.

"About half. I'm not biased against naturals like most of ZAFT," he said, enjoying the look on her face. "I'm second generation, actually. And in case you're wondering, I'm not ZAFT. Maybe once…but not now."

He turned around and prepared to talk to Kira, but an explosion cut him off. They all looked up, seeing a ZAFT CGUE and a Moebius Zero mobile armor fly out of the smoke. Behind them, a slightly larger mobile armor followed.

Alex cursed, not knowing, but having a pretty good idea who the three were.

_Rau le Creuset. And the Hawk of Endymion himself. Not good. What's Danny doing out in the field, though?_

"Kira! Get in the Strike, now!" Alex yelled back, rushing towards his own _stolen_ Suit.

Kira, while displeased with the concept of fighting, headed towards the Strike.

In the air, ZAFT commander Rau le Creuset and Mu La Fllaga of the Earth Forces tried to destroy each other. Rau, however, had noticed the two remaining G-units.

"Well, well," the masked man said.

He immediately changed course towards the two silent machines. The mobile armor, a yellow unit with red wings and thrusters, fired its beam rifles, narrowly missing the CGUE.

"Shit!" Alex yelled, wishing he had a mid range weapon. The white CGUE mobile suit opened fire with its rifle, the rounds bouncing off the Strike's phase shift armor, which Kira had activated just in time.

"Tch, not even the rifle…" Rau muttered, then cursed as Mu's Moebius Zero unit flew past him, firing its main gun.

Alex pulled out a mask similar to Rau's and put it on. The main difference was that Rau's was white, while Alex's was a deep blue. And with Alex, you didn't feel the cold chill down your spine that Rau was able to send to you. Alex was no longer Alexander Kolodziej. He was now the Blue Blaze, one of ZAFT's most short-lived-and dangerous-pilots.

"Let's see how you like this, 'commander'," he said harshly, and hit his thrusters. The Blade flew up into the air, its huge sword ready. Alex snarled and the Blade swung, with unexpected-and unwelcome-results.

Rau's CGUE dodged swiftly, easily avoiding what would have been a deathblow. The sword kept going, slicing through Mu's main cannon instead. The last unit flew directly above him.

"Damn it!" Mu swore, looking behind him to see if the G-unit would try again. He had no way of knowing that he hadn't been the target of that hit. Rau headed straight for the Strike.

"_Watch where you point that thing!" _Alex smirked as he heard the voice.

"Your fault for being in my way, Danny," Alex replied.

"I'll take you down now!" Rau yelled, aiming at the Strike.

Kira screamed as the ZAFT unit flew closer. Two seconds later, two internal explosions rocked the colony, and Rau hit his reverse thrusters, surprised at what was now in his way.

Two battleships, the Earth Forces _Archangel_, and another battleship that none had ever seen before. Alex recognized it, though. It was _his_ ship, the _Ark_. A good friend of his had stumbled upon a pre-conceptual design for a new class of warship that was slated to go into production sometime in CE 72. Since Alex had some less than legal connections, most of which owed him favors, he decided to build it and utilize it for his own purposes, knowing he'd need it eventually. While shorter than the _Archangel_, almost by a full hundred meters, and without any "wings", it was still an impressive cruiser. The _Archangel_ outgunned it easily by at least a two-to-one ration in terms of firepower, but the _Ark_ had some surprises of its own.

Which it was more than willing to show off. Its Igelstellungs fired immediately, forcing Rau to hastily dodge the barrage of automatic fire. Alex took the time to see how Kira was doing. And he didn't like what he saw.

The Strike, which had taken the distraction as a way to but time, was now equipped with a 320mm Agni hyper impulse cannon. And it was currently aiming at the erratically moving mobile suit.

"Kira, don't fire that-"

"Wait, that's too-"

Two voices, the same warning. Neither came in time. The Strike fired, unleashing a beam of red energy that surged towards the CGUE. Rau managed to get out of the way partially, his mobile suit's arm melting off.

The blast continued, blowing a hole in the colony wall. The mobile armor swung around and viewed the destruction. "The kid could use some practice," the pilot mused.

"That much power in one mobile suit?" Rau muttered, pulling out.

Kira and Alex were both astonished at how much power the cannon had. Aboard the _Archangel_, Ensign Badgiruel sighed and gave out orders to the heavily undermanned crew.

"Bring us in for a landing. And brace yourselves for gravity."

She looked at the other battleship, wondering who was in command of it, and how they got it. It wasn't a model she recognized, but it didn't look like a ZAFT cruiser, either.

Mr. Tonomura spoke.

"We're getting a friendly ID tag from the unknown vessel, Ensign. And it seems to be launching a second Mobile Armor, as well."

Natarle Badgiruel looked at the main screen and saw the sleek craft. It wasn't a Moebius, nor was it a Mistral. It was red like Mu La Fllaga's unit, but it was smoother, and instead of wired gunbarrels, it seemed to be equipped with energy cannons. She wondered who they were. The unknown fighter came up alongside it.

_I guess we'll find out soon enough,_ she thought.

Shortly after landing on the ground, Kira and Alex were back with the others, trying to calm their friends. The ensign and the crew came into the hangar, curious as to who was piloting the G-units, as well as the mobile armor.

"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel, Earth Forces," she said to Murrue, saluting.

Murrue returned the salute, glad that they were no longer in battle.

"Who are those civilians?" She immediately asked, gesturing towards the Heliopolis students.

"Civilians that got caught in the crossfire. And the young men they're speaking to are the ones who took down the GINN."

"What?" Natarle was stunned. "Those two…shot down a ZAFT GINN on their own?"

"Well, this is a surprise. Mu La Fllaga, 8th Orbital Fleet Mobile Armor pilot. Who's the commanding officer on this ship?" A blonde haired man said, walking up.

"The captain and the pilots for the G-units were all in the command center when this all began, so…"

"I see," Mu said, not believing the trouble that was plaguing him. "And those children?"

"They were outside when the attack began, and the two young men standing next to each other took control of the G-units," Murrue explained.

Mu was surprised at that, and walked towards them. Kira noticed and braced himself for whatever came. Alex just glanced at them, now wearing shades again. He didn't need to antagonize these people at this point.

"You two-you're Coordinators, aren't you?" He asked.

Kira's friends froze at that, while Alex just pushed off the wall he was propped up on.

"Yes," Kira replied.

A group of soldiers standing not too far away grabbed their guns.

Alex calmly walked forward and got in front of Kira. Tolle also stood in front, visibly angry.

"What's the matter with you? Kira's a Coordinator, but he's _not_ ZAFT!" He yelled.

The red mobile armor suddenly landed, and the top slid up and out as the pilot climbed down.

* * *

On the ZAFT carrier _Vesalius_, Rau le Creuset watched a replay of the battle between Miguel Aiman, the Strike, and the mysterious silver unit.

"It's a pity Miguel couldn't bring this back himself," Rau said quietly. "Though his final words, and that pilot's reply…"

He looked at Athrun. "What do you think of this, Athrun?"

Athrun looked up, startled.

Rau smiled. "You knew him better, I believe."

Athrun looked down, thinking. "There is a possibility, sir. After all, we never found his body. Though I find it hard to believe he's a traitor."

"Those were Miguel's words, but we don't know the circumstances," Rau replied. "For all we know, it could have been an imposter. But whether it's him or not, we must capture the 5th unit. Failing that, we have to destroy it."

Athrun interjected.

"But what about that silver mobile suit, sir?" He asked, hoping he wouldn't have to destroy it or its pilot.

"At the moment, the Strike is the bigger problem. But if you see an opportunity, don't hesitate to fire," Rau replied. "If it is him, he won't be defeated so easily."

The troops saluted and left. Athrun stayed behind, looking at Rau intently.

"Captain Ades, please let me go out there," Athrun said.

"Why?" Rau asked, genuinely puzzled. "You've already returned with the Alliance's new Mobile Suit, and we don't have a unit for you to pilot."

* * *

The soldiers aboard the _Archangel_ still had their rifles leveled at the young Coordinators, despite the fact that the Heliopolis students stood in their way. Murrue intervened before anything happened.

"Lower your rifles," she said, an air of authority surrounding her. The troops did, visibly unhappy.

"Lieutenant, what are you-" Badgiruel began.

"It's not that hard to understand. Heliopolis is neutral. It's understandable that some Coordinators would want to get away from the fighting. Am I wrong, Kira?" She finished, looking at him.

"No," Kira replied. "Since I'm a first-generation Coordinator."

"First-generation?" Tonomura whispered.

"Unlike my friend here, I _am_ a second-generation Coordinator, but I didn't want much to do with this war, either," Alex said.

"So your parents are Naturals?" Mu asked. "Ah, didn't mean to cause a fuss like that. I was just curious."

Alex actually smiled, despite the situation.

"Don't worry. I'm well aware you don't hate Coordinators, lieutenant," he replied. "And it was a valid question."

The pilot of the mysterious mobile armor finally made his presence known.

"Excuse me, but I believe I have some information for Mr. Kolodziej," he said. The man had a suit of high-tech armor on, with a special helmet that was completely black, no visor or anything that allowed for visibility on it.

"And you are?" Natarle asked, ever the military professional.

The figure just turned his head towards, silent for a moment.

"Someone who doesn't answer to you," he replied. "At any rate, _Ark _is pretty much set for now. You probably already know this, but the ZAFT vessel outside is the _Vesalius._"

"Yeah, I figured," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "Anything you can tell us that's important?"

"I think you know what I'm going to say," he replied, looking at the Hawk of Endymion.

"What?" Mu asked, looking confused.

"What are the odds he'll just leave, Mu La Fllaga, after what he's discovered here?" The armored man asked.

"Absolutely none," Alex replied. "He'll come in with whatever he can use. I need to get to the ship now. And _you_ need to get there as well, old friend."

With that, the figure turned around, preparing to go back to the ship. The second pilot came up, taking off his helmet. He was a bit heavy, with very short light brown hair and dark brown eyes. His orange flight suit had a red velociraptor etched on its back, with a red R on the left side of the front of the jacket, as well. The young man raised his arm. "Yo."

Alex grinned.

"Danny Geshke. Just who I've been waiting for. How are things on the ship?"

"David and Djarum are fixing up the units," Danny replied, then stopped, rubbing his head in frustration. "Correction. David is working, Djarum is smoking. Again."

Alex groaned. "And he wonders why so few of our units work properly. He's a pain in the ass. If he wasn't a genius, I'd have ditched him years ago. Hey, Zero!"

The armored figure stopped and turned around, waiting.

"You'll man a post on this ship. They'll need the backup!" Alex yelled, walking up to him. "Besides, Kira's gonna need the support."

"Wait, are you planning on leaving us?" Natarle asked, incredulous.

"Nothing of the sort. But for now, Blade's out of the equation. Even if I go in with the air pack, it'll be bad. Kira, Zero will watch your back," Alex replied.

"By the way, what _is_ that unit? It's a mobile armor, but I've never seen that model," Natarle said, looking at the strange vessel, as well as the mobile armor.

"Well, I figured you'd notice it, lieutenant. Long story short, it's a prototype that won't be going into production for a while," Zero said, walking up. "As you can see, weapon wise, it's based off the Moebius Zero units, like Mu's. The difference is that _these _energy cannon aren't wired like the Moebius crafts are. As for Danny's unit, that's the Raptor. Not quite ready for combat yet, but it will be."

"What controls the energy cannons?" Murrue asked, puzzled.

"Spatial awareness, ma'am," he replied. "I know you understand, Mr. La Fllaga. After all, it's that skill that allows you to sense Le Creuset."

This drew collective stares and gasps from the group.

"How did you know about-" Mu started.

"The connection? It'll have to wait. But I _do _know, at least some of it. When we have the time, I'll tell you. Right now we need to get ready."

"And the Raptor?"

Alex grinned. "Our ace unit, although right now, it's just a useless pawn."

"Don't call my unit useless, jackass!" Danny yelled, earning a chuckle from Alex.

The Hawk suddenly remembered their main problem. "There's still Rau to deal with."

"Yeah. He's persistent. We'll have a hard time, even after we get out," Alex said. "Won't be easy to get away. Danny, let's go."

Daniel knew that Alex had forced himself not to say "_if _we get out."

* * *

On the _Vesalius_, two GINNs were being equipped with heavy rocket launchers. Nicol Amalfi, a ZAFT pilot, stared incredulously.

"D-equipment? With that, Heliopolis will…"

"What'd you expect, Nicol? Heliopolis called itself neutral, and they built those units. Huh! I say they deserve it," Yzak Joule said, a mysterious smile on his face.

On the _Archangel_, Kuzzey was mystified by the now-asleep Kira Yamato.

"Amazing he could sleep through all this," he muttered, staring at his friend.

"Why?" Alex asked. "Did you expect him to be all hyper and run around in joy after piloting that unit?"

"No, I meant…Kira said that he modified the OS for that mobile suit, right? When did he have time for that?" He asked, genuinely puzzled. "And if all of ZAFT has pilots as good as him, what chance does the Alliance have?"

"Won't matter much, Kuzzey," Alex responded, knowing where his friend was going with this. "It comes down to ability. Remember, Coordinators aren't _born_ geniuses. And in case you haven't noticed, we have two trump cards that we can use against Le Creuset."

"Huh?"

His friends stared at him.

"Mu, and myself," he explained.

"Yeah, you said you were ZAFT. Were you good?" Miriallia asked.

"Honestly, I can't say. I was only there for a short while, after all. The whole 'Blue Blaze' drama comes from those times, though. I was a bit faster than the others, and colored my GINN deep blue, and the Earth Forces made a big deal out of it. Like my unit being a different color really made a difference."

"It was juss a name?" Miriallia asked.

"At first. Then my skill really did get better," Alex replied. "I was picking off mobile armors like they were flies." He looked at his watch. "Well, time for me to get to my ship."

The news startled Kuzzey.

"What? But what about-"

"Kira and my agent can handle things here. Besides, if things go according to plan, you'll have some more help soon enough," Alex explained, looking at his nervous friend. "Raptor is almost ready, after all. That'll at least make us able to handle Duel and Aegis." Then he walked out, waving.

* * *

"All the civilians are inside the shelters," Natarle told Murrue Ramius, while glancing occasionally at the silent and heavily armored giant that stood among them.

"What'll we do about the kids?" Mu asked.

"It's obvious we have to detain them, since they've seen military secrets," Natarle said, not a trace of sadness in her voice.

"I believe my boss would disagree, Ensign," Zero spoke, voice muffled. "If you didn't want them to see any of this, then you shouldn't have built these things here."

Natarle started to reply, but another voice cut her off.

"_He's right,"_ Mazer said through the comm. _"Holding a bunch of civilians hostage just because of something like that is unreasonable."_

"Then what are we supposed to do? Let them go?" She asked, not liking the idea very much.

"_That would be a good start. What, you think they're gonna run around the colony saying 'Hey! Guess what, we saw top-secret Alliance projects!'? I doubt it."_

Murrue sighed.

"Rau will probably attack us the moment we leave the colony," Mu said.

"If that's the case, Kira should pilot the Strike," she said.

"Impossible! We can't let a civilian, let alone a Coordinator-!" Natarle wasn't able to finish because of the sound Alex's fist made as it connected with the side of one of the chairs as he entered.

"Ensign, either rephrase the question, or keep your mouth shut. If Kira was ZAFT, I'd understand your reasoning and attitude, but he's _not._ So keep your personal opinions about his DNA to yourself," Alex said, barely containing himself.

"Well, the lieutenant-" She tried again, but Mu cut her off.

"Yeah, right. Did you see what he did to that OS? No Natural can pilot it, now," he said, grimacing.

"Then make him change it back!"

Alex burst out laughing at that, and Zero cocked his head to the side, silent. "Change it back? Sure, we'll do that. I saw the way Murrue piloted the Strike before it was reconfigured. The damn thing nearly fell over when the bullets struck the ground next to it," Alex said.

Zero stayed silent.

* * *

On the _Vesalius_, Miguel and two other pilots, Olor and Matthew, launched in GINNs. Behind them, X-303 Aegis left the ship as well.

"Athrun took the new unit out there? Recall him immediately!" Captain Ades yelled.

"Let him go," Rau said quietly. "We've already extracted the data, anyway. And it might be interesting to see two Alliance mobile suits fighting each other. And of course, there's always the chance of destroying that other ship, as well."

"This isn't right," Murrue said as she walked down the corridor. Alex followed her closely, thinking.

"No arguments," Alex told her quietly. "But my pilots are only good on their units. It'd take them at least three weeks without end to get used to the Strike. They're not like me. Or him."

Murrue approached Kira in the hangar, flanked by Alex and Zero, who joined from the other side of the corridor. She took a deep breath as she saw the students. Alex just stood by her and nodded. She walked up to Kira. He stood up and looked at the three, already looking defiant.

"Kira, I realize this isn't what you wanted, but we need you to pilot the Strike. There isn't any other option," she said, looking apologetic.

"Why do _I _have to pilot it? I can change the settings back, and then the lieutenant can use it!" Kira yelled.

"Kira," Alex said quietly. "Do you honestly think I _want_ you out there?" He asked, looking him in the eye. "If there was an alternative, I'd use it, but there isn't."

"You have a ship! And you probably have mobile suits on it, too!" Kira said, focusing on him now.

"Yes to both, but of those units, only mine and Danny's is ready. Add in Zero's mobile armor, and Mu's, that's four. But it's not enough, buddy. My units aren't complete yet," Alex continued. "We need everyone we can get. And besides, it's not_ our_ ship Le Creuset's after, it's _this_ one. Take your pick, my friend. But I'm not taking passengers on mine, so don't ask me to help you get out of this one."

With that, he left.

"You're being unfair!" Kira yelled. "It's as if you're saying I'm the only one that can do this!"

Murrue turned around for a second, then followed the other two.

"Was that the right to handle it?" She asked, worried about the impact it would have on Kira.

"Kira's a strong one," Alex said, not stopping. "But he's too idealistic. Life's not sunshine and roses. Rarely is it that good. If he doesn't grow up now, he won't be able to handle the stress that'll come later. And I'm speaking from experience."

As they were about to enter the elevator, the intercom next to it buzzed. Murrue activated it, and Mu's face came onscreen.

_"Lieutenant, you better get up here now! You're the captain, after all!" _He said loudly, making her back up in confusion.

"ME?"

"I may hold the higher rank, but I don't know a thing about this ship!"

"Very well," she said. "All hands to battlestations. Is your unit ready?"

_"No good, it's still not fixed," _he said, looking a little less stressed out.

"Take over CIC, then," she concluded, and turned off the comm.

Alex walked back to the hangar, where Kira and the others were still talking, albeit much more quietly. Alex just walked right towards him, and Kira tried to back off, to no avail. Alex just grabbed him and pulled him close.

"Now listen, Kira, yeah, life's unfair. I know better than most. But do _you_ see everybody moaning about it? No, they suck it up and keep going. So that's what you're gonna do," he said, eyes cold.

"And if I don't?" Kira asked, not struggling.

"Then I leave you and the others here to die. I'll tell Ramius to leave you guys here. And if she won't do it, I know Badgiruel will. Think I'm bluffing?" He looked at him, eyes cold.

Kira stayed silent for a while, then sighed.

"I'll do it. But I think you're despicable, using this kind of tactic against me," he said. Alex let him go.

"I can live with that, Kira. Now get changed and get to the hangar. We'll probably have to launch soon."

He watched as Kira walked off, followed by Zero.

"That was harsh," Sai said quietly.

"Harsh, yes. But also very true," Alex said, facing them. "I don't like bossing my friends around, but he really is the only one who can do this."

Outside, in the colony, an explosion tore a hole in the colony.

"Two GINNs have entered the colony! What-they're equipped with D-class weaponry!" Tonomura yelled.

"That kind of weaponry here?" Badgiruel asked, shocked.

"Wait-there's one more! Confirmed-X-303 Aegis!"

"They're sending them out already?" Murrue cried out.

"Designate the X-303 as an enemy!" La Fllaga said. "It's theirs now!"

* * *

Inside the hangar, Kira and Alex sat in their units, waiting. Kira checked his weapons.

"A sword pack. At least I don't have to worry about misfiring," Kira muttered. He looked at the two mobile armors on his left. He hoped things didn't get ugly.

"_Kira!"_

Kira's head jerked towards the monitors.

"A-Alex?"

"_Yeah. Since I don't have a ride for now, I'll be handling the weapons system on this thing. Listen, if our mutual friend shows up, don't worry. I doubt he'll try to kill you immediately,"_ Alex said, grinning.

"Thanks," Kira said.

Zero's helmeted head appeared on another screen.

_"Boss, the _Ark's_ here."_

Alex looked out the left view screen, the prototype slowly moving out ahead of the _Archangel. _He stood up and turned around. "Ramius!"

She looked down at him, surprised.

"I take it you've already seen the _Ark,_" Alex said.

"I-yes, we've been wondering about that. I'm surprised the Ensign didn't ask anything about it," the captain said.

"Well, long story short. I needed a ship, a friend found some plans, and we built it from scratch," he said, shrugging. "What else is there to say?"

Murrue and Badgiruel, who had just come down, stared at him.

"From scratch?" Natarle asked.

"Yup. But we don't have time for chitchat. I'll tell you more after this battle."

Without waiting, Zero launched, and Alex prayed the colony would be able to weather the storm that was about to begin.

* * *

AUHTOR'S NOTE: Second chapter done. Until the next one. Hellshadow


	3. Fallen Home

The Ark's sirens wailed as the ship entered combat phase. Mazer groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Any way we can at least turn the racket down?" He asked.

"Afraid not."

The door hissed shut, and the newcomer walked in front of Mazer. He had long, shriveled black hair, with a sharp nose and a scar on his face that covered his left eye.

"Djarum," Mazer said, nodding slowly.

The young man nodded, looking over his red ZAFT uniform. "Looks good on me huh?" He asked, grinning.

"The sirens, you putz," Mazer growled.

Djarum snapped his fingers and took a step back. "Oh, right! Yeah, I never fixed that glitch," he said, chuckling.

Mazer groaned and closed his eyes. "A combat situation, and the alarms are gonna continue till it ends. This is gonna do more wonders for my head."

Outside the ship, Kira worked the controls to keep the Strike afloat as the Blade slowly circled him, its pilot protecting the novice.

_How did I get into this?_ Kira thought. _Athrun..._

_"Kira."_

Kira looked up at the small video screen. Alex shook his head.

_"I don't think he's coming. At least, I hope not,"_ he said, sadness in his voice. _"Either way, we've got some help."_

"What help? And what's your machine got on it?" Kira asked, confusion etched on his face.

_"Howdy,"_ another face appeared on the second screen. The pilot seemed to be shorter than Alex, with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He also seemed to be a bit chubby.

_"Danny,"_ Alex said. _"Kira, meet Danny Geschke. He's flying the X-301 Raptor, as we've dubbed it. Think of it as the predecessor of the Aegis. As for the other part, this is the AirBlade. Designed for maneuverability and speed."_

The Blade had a large backpack with four thrusters built on its sides, and six fins that could rotate in order to ensure quick turns and dodges.

_"Well, we're glad for the assistance,"_ Murrue said over the comm.

_"No problem,"_ Danny replied, smiling. _"Actually, I'm the secondary pilot for this unit. Tony's helping in the munitions area, though, making sure our weapons are set, so I offered to fly."_

_"We're grateful that-"_

_"Two signals on radar, ma'am!"_ Tonomura interrupted.

The Raptor quickly tipped its nose up and cut its thrusters, pulling a vertical one eighty before righting itself and flying towards the new marks on its radar. Just as it passed the Blade, the side of Heliopolis exploded, leaving a massive hole through which debris began flying out of.

"What, they couldn't use the service tunnels in the south?" Danny muttered.

Two GINNs flew in, carrying large containers. Alex zoomed in on the units. "D-equipment?" He screeched, looking through the data screen.

"Inside the colony?" Kira asked. "Alex!"

"I know, Kira!" Alex yelled, activating his weapons. "Heavy bazookas, physical and beam type."

A red mobile suit entered from behind the GINNs.

"Oh, please, no..." Alex whispered.

"Confirmed! X-303 Aegis!"

The news drew several connected gasps and curses.

"Already on the field..." Murrue muttered.

_"I took a look at its schematics. Hope it doesn't use mobile armor mode in here."_

Murrue and Natarle stared in astonishment as they were connected to the Ark's bridge, revealing a beefy man with graying hair in an Earth Forces admiral uniform. He appeared to be in his fifties. _"I take it you're surprised,"_ the man said, his voice gruff. _"I suppose you would be. Nicholas Mazer, formerly of the Atlantic Federation. I'm a natural, by the way,"_ Mazer said, his blue eyes shining.

The screen shook violently as the _Ark_ took a hit from a GINN.

* * *

Miguel Aiman, who Kira had already fought against, aimed his bazooka, and fired. The Strike dodged to the right, the beam hitting a shaft instead.

"Great, another itchy trigger finger," Alex muttered, watching the battle as he tried to strategize.

Danny groaned as he threw the Raptor into a spin, a swarm of rockets bearing down on him. He turned the unit and checked Raptor's active countermeasures. He selected one and activated it. A small compartment just behind the cockpit and on top of the wings opened, and numerous flares shot out, the rockets now locking on to them. Danny quickly threw the right stick down, Raptor flying at the ground. The rockets hit the flares and Danny howled as his unit got away from the explosions.

"Damn it, come on," Miguel muttered. The Strike was proving to be a nuisance, as it was somehow managing to dodge all his attacks. The GINN fired again, this time striking the Earth Forces machine. "Yes!"

His joy turned to surprise as an unharmed Strike flew right at him. A shield was attached to its shoulder, billowing smoke from the hit. Miguel hit his thrusters and boosted away just in time to avoid a deadly sword swing that would have cut it in half.

Meanwhile, Zero's mobile armor flew circles around the remaining GINNs. He checked his monitors, noticing that the Aegis was following the Strike, but not attacking.

_Biding its time? Or maybe..._

_"Get behind it, Athrun!"_

Athrun Zala complied, the Aegis moving around to the target area. The blue haired youth watched as the Earth Forces machine dodged Miguel's attacks. Athrun hit his thrusters, increasing his speed. The Aegis came in hard, and the Strike turned around, as planned.

"Got you!"

Kira gasped and pulled the right stick back while pressing down on the pedals. The Strike shot to the side, Miguel's attack nearly hitting Aegis instead. The Strike reached up and pulled the beam boomerang, throwing it at the ZAFT unit. The GINN quickly spun away and took aim again.

"Didn't even come close!" Miguel said, sure of his victory. The boomerang curved back and neatly severed the GINN's leg. "What?" Miguel cursed as warning lights came on.

With a wordless scream, Kira flew at the GINN, sword raised. It cut straight through the ZAFT model. The wreck exploded, Miguel screaming.

"MIGUEL!" Athrun cried.

The Raptor was beginning its vengeance run, now attacking the GINNs. Its beam rifles spat red beams at them, forcing the machines to break formation.

"Here we go," Danny said, taking a deep breath. "Work."

He grabbed an overhead handle and turned it ninety degrees before pushing it forward into a locking mechanism. The Raptor's mechanics whirred and moved, the unit beginning to transform. The wings shot out and Raptor's head tilted backwards, its shield now forming the nose the fighter. Danny grinned.

Suddenly every one of his screens turned red, and Danny did not like the word that was flying across each one.

MALFUNTION DETETCTED. TRANS SHIFT SEQUENCE FAILED.

"No...frikkin'...way," Danny muttered, trying to head towards the Ark. The Raptor, looking like a cross between plane and a hunched over man, wobbled towards its mother ship. The wings groaned as it turned, the resistance proving to be more than it was designed to handle. "Mazer, this is Raptor. I'm heading back. Got a major problem here."

Alex's unit took over, the AirBlade flying towards a group of GINNs that had just entered the colony. Before they could even get a good look at his machine, Alex pulled a beam saber out and the mobile suit swung, cutting off the lead GINN's head perfectly. Alex pulled on the left stick and hit the secondary trigger, unloading a barrage of CIWS rounds at the other two machines before firing with its beam rifle. The GINNs responded, trying to close the distance.

Alex sighed and shook his head. "Recommendation, CABAL?"

"Attack analysis concludes flanking and simultaneous assault as most probable outcome," the AI informed him.

Alex smiled. "Okay, then."

The Blade threw the shield at the GINN behind it before firing a shot at the one in front of him. The GINN took the shot and began falling as it exploded. Alex instantly turned his attention on the unit behind him, whose pilot was finally coming around.

"Damn you!" The man roared, aiming his rifle. The Blade's beam saber cut through the weapon and kept going, running through the arm before the tip of the weapon angled down and stabbed the cockpit directly.

"Przepraszam," Alex said as he pulled the weapon out. He deactivated the saber and flew down to grab the shield.

The Ark's Igellstellung CIWS barked, creating a hole for Raptor. The GINNs tried to take advantage of a malfunctioning unit, but the amount of firepower coming at them made them pull back. One GINN pilot tried to follow, firing wildly at the escaping suit. The machine gun rounds struck it, knocking its rifle out of its hands before delivering full body blows. The bullet riddled machine dropped out of the sky and crashed onto the empty street, its head and chest smashed in before exploding.

Kira and Athrun finally met face to face, the two machines staring at each other.

"What are you doing in that thing, Kira?" Athrun yelled, beam rifle pointed at the cockpit.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Kira replied, the Strike's sword raised. "Why did you attack Heliopolis?"

Athrun blinked. _Kira, are you that naive?_

"Because the Naturals built those things here, that's why!" Athrun answered.

_"And that's reason to attack a neutral colony?"_

Athrun froze again. "Alex?"

The AirBlade came up beside the Strike as the colony became more unstable.

Zero fired his energy cannons at the remaining GINN. The lasers tore through it, destroying it entirely, but not before the missiles it carried activated.

"Oh, no," Zero whispered. The rockets flew past his unit, hitting another shaft.

"The colony's coming apart!" Alex yelled. "Zero, Kira, get out of here!" He looked at the Aegis. "Athrun, we're not done here by a logn shot, but you've gotta go, too!"

"KIRA!" Athrun yelled, watching as the Strike pulled away from him, arms stretched out.

"Oh, damn it!" Alex yelled, his suit clutching the shield. His unit was yanked away by the wind velocity. Alex groaned and managed to get one final message out.

"Ark, Archangel, prepare for turbulence!"

* * *

AUHTOR'S NOTE: Failed again. Sorry for the lateness. Also: Przepraszam (pshe-prah-shaam) means sorry or I'm sorry.


	4. author's note

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I realize by now most people think this story is dead, I am only confirming it. The story just got away from me and I kept putting it off even more. I will be posting a new one soon, with new characters. Alex and James will be back in this one, as well as Zero. One new OC will be joining as well. It is my hope, that by keeping with the core group of characters, that I can construct a better story. Again, I'm sorry for making you all wait, and I hope you'll like the new version. I have no concrete idea on when the first chapter will be posted, as I am just now beginning to formulate a new plot for the cast.

Hellshadow


End file.
